Alarm-clock.



F. X. WEHRLE.

ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24,1916. 1; 181 ,557. Patented May 2,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Ill 1% =5 x w r. t?) QQ F. X. WEHRLE.

ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24. 1916.

1, 181 ,557, Patented May 2, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK X. WEI-IRLE, OF THOMASTON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO SETH THOMAS CLOCK 00., OF THOMASTON, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

ALARM-CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK X. WnHRLn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Thomaston, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Alarm-Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of an alarm-clock v constructed in accordance with my invention, with a portion of the dial and dial-back broken away, the parts of the alarm-mechanism being shown in the positions which they occupy immediately after the completion of the sounding of an alarm. Fig. 2 a view of the clock in side elevation. Fig. 3 a view in horizontal section through the case of the clock showing the clock-movement in plan with the parts of the alarm-mechanism in the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 1, the timetrain being omitted for the sake of clearness. Fig. 4 a detached-view in front elevation of the clock-movement, showing the parts of the alarm-mechanism in the positions which they occupy about midway of the 24 hour interval between. the sounding of the alarm. Fig. 5 a plan view thereof with the parts in the same positions. Fig. 6 a detached view on an enlarged scale of the helical shut-off cam. Fig. 7 a broken detail view in elevation on an enlarged scale, showing the mode of mounting the alarm shut-off lever. Fig. 8 a plan view thereof on the same scale. Fig. 9 a broken detail plan view of a modified construction of the shutoff cam and co-acting cam-finger. Fig. 10 is another modified construction of the same parts.

My invention relates to an improvement in alarm-clocks of the type in which the alarm after being sounded for a variable predetermined period, is automatically shut off with provision for manually shutting off the alarm at the pleasure of the user of the clock, the object being to produce a simple, compact, durable and dependable alarmmechanism of the character described.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in an alarm-clock having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, I employ a helical alarm shut-off cam 2 the helical cam-groove of which has a driving face 3 standing at substantially a right angle to the axis of the cam, and an inclined bottom 4t which permits the camfinger 5 to be manually ratcheted from rear to front over the cam for the manual shutting off of the alarm, the said finger 5 being formed upon the under face of a long, horizontally arranged alarm shut-off lever 6 located between the front and rear movement-plates 7 and S and having swinging movement from front to rear, and vice versa and also swinging movement in the vertical plane. At its extreme outer end the said lever 6 is bent upward to form a manual shut-off arm 9 which is engaged by a collar 10 located to the rear of the said arm and mounted upon a longitudinally movable manual shut-off arbor or plunger 11 having bearing in the plates 7 and 8 and encircled at its forward end by a helical spring 12 which exerts a constant effort to maintain the plunger in its normal position in which its rear end is projected through alined openings 13, 14L, respectively formed in the case-back 15 and concentric bell 16. The said shut-off lever 6 swings laterally upon a pivot 17 in a horizontal arm 18 depending from a vertically arranged warning-lever 19 provided with a rearwardly extending hub 20 oscillating upon a stud 21 in the front movement-plate 7 the lever 6 swinging in the vertical plane with the lever 18. A torsion spring 22 encircling the hub 20 is provided with an arm wrapped around the warning-lever 19 and with an arm 2% anchored to a stud 25 in the plate 7 The said spring 22 exerts a constant effort to depress the lever 6 so as to normally maintain the cam-finger 5 in engagement with the cam 2, and so as to exert a constant effort to move the upper end of the warning-lever 19 into position to co-act with the bent adjacent end 26 of the vibrating stop-arm 26. A spring 27 coiled upon the stud 17 is employed to exert a constant effort to swing the lever 6 horizontally from front to rear, the said spring having an arm 28 wrapped around the said lever and an arm 29 bearing upon the inner face of the warning-lever 19. The said lever 19 is provided with a forwardly projecting cam-like finger 3O inclined from right to left and co-acting with a similar finger 31 formed upon the left hand end of the alarm let-off spring 32 also provided with an inwardly turned stop-finger 33 coacting with the stop-arm 26 aforesaid. The said let-off spring 32 is secured by a rivet 34 to the front movement plate 7, and is of ordinary construction and arrangement. The front face of this lever is acted upon by the hub 35 of an alarm-cam wheel 36 provided upon its outer face with a concentric alarmcam 37 and turning loosely upon the forward end of the alarm-set shaft 38 upon which is fastened a collar 39 having a finger 40 upon which the edge of the cam 37 rides. The said shaft 38 has bearing in the plates 7 and 8 and extends forward through the spring 32 for a suflicient distance to ca-rrythe wheel 36, while its rear end projects through the case-back 15 and bell l6 and is furnished with a finger-button 41.

The stop-arm 26 is fastened to the forward end of the alarmtrain escapementarbor 42 which is journaled in the plates 7 and 8 and carries a verge 43 engaging with an alarm escapement-wheel 44 mounted on an arbor 45 carrying a pinion 46 meshing into a wheel 47 mounted on the arbor 48 of the shut-off cam 2, the said arbor 48 being also furnished with a lantern-pinion 49 which meshes into the main wheel, not shown, of the alarmtrain. The alarm-cam wheel 36 is driven in the usual manner by dialwork connected with the time-train which it is unnecessary to either describe or show in detail. I

In order to set the clock to sound an alarm. for a variable predetermined period. the shut-oil lever 6 is provided at its left hand with an arm 50 co-acting with the inclined face 51 of an arm 52 formed integral with a segmental slide 53 secured to the case-back 15 by means of studs 54 which pass through segmental slots 55 in the slide which is also furnished with a rearwardly projecting finger 56 passing through a slot 57 in the case back 15 and folded upon itself to form an index-pointer 58 which registers with a series of graduations 59 formed, as shown in Fig. 2, upon the rear edge of a circular clock-case 60, the said case being closed at its rear end by the case-back 15 and adapted at its forward end to receive a glass 61 behind which is arranged the dial 62 and dialback 63.

In the use of my improved clock, the alarm-set shaft 38 is turned so as to set the alarm-mechanism to go off at a predetermined time in the ordinary manner. The index-pointer 58 is also moved over the graduations 59 so as to predetermine the length of time for which the alarm shall be sounded with respect to the cam-groove 4 of the shut- 3 off cam 2. Assuming the alarm to have been let off and the alarm-train started, the consequent revolution of the arbor 48 and hence of the shutoff cam 2, will operate through the cam-groove 4 and. cam-finger 5 to positively swing the shut-off lever 6 from rear to front against the tension of the spring 27, until at length the finger 5 runs out of the forward end of the groove 4, whereupon the torsion spring 22 will exert itself to rock the lever 6 downward upon the stud 21 at which tim the finger 5 will ride down over the front end of the cam 2 and the warning-lever 19 will be swung from left to right and carried into position to engage with the bent end 26 of the stoparm 26, whereby the vibration of the same is arrested and the sounding of the alarm stopped. Now if at any time during the sounding of the alarm, it is desired to shut it off before it is automatically shut off as above described, the user of the clock can manually shut it off by pressing the plunger 11 inward against the tension of the helical spring 12, whereby the collar 10 will engage with the arm 9 of the shut-01f lever 6 and cause the cam-finger 5 to ride over the inclined bottom 4 of the cam-groove 4, this riding of the finger 5 over the bottom of the groove 4 being comparable to what is known as ratcheting back in clock parlance. As time goes on, the action of the edge of the cam 37 upon the finger 40 of the collar 39 will force thealarm-cam wheel 36 and its hub 35 rearward over the projecting forward end of the alarm-set shaft 38, whereby the let-off spring 32 will be crowded rear ward with the effect of causing its cam-like finger 31 'to press against the cam-like finger 30 of the warning-lever 19 which will be swung from right to left with. the result of swinging the ight hand end of the shutoff lever 6 upward so as to clear the camfinger 5 from the forward edge of the shutoff cam 2 and permit the spring 27 to act to swing the shut-off lever 6 laterally from front to rear to the limit of its rearward movement which will be predetermined by the position of the inclined face 51 with re spect to the arm 50 of the shut-ofl" lever 6. At this time the cam-finger 5 will be held a trifle above the cam-groove 4. Before the upper end of the warning-lever 19 is disengaged from the end 26 of the stop-arm 26, the stop-finger 33 of the spring 32 has been carried into the path of the stop-arm 26 so as to take the place of the stopping function of the warning-lever 19. At the expiration of the 24 hour interval since the last preceding alarm was sounded, the cam 37 will drop off the finger 40, whereupon the let-off spring 32 will spring forward and clear the finger 33 from the path of the stop-arm 26 which is now left free to vibrate. At the same time, the cam-like finger 31 of the let-ofi' spring 32 clears the finger 30 of the warning-lever 19 and permits the same to rock sufliciently from left to right upon the stud 21 to allow the shutoff lever 6 to move downward for the short distance required to engage its cam-finger 5 with the groove at of the helicalshut-off cam 2, which will now automatically shut off the sounding of the alarm after the expiration of the period for which it was initially set unless the plunger 11 is manually operated to anticipate the automatic action of the said cam.

In the modified construction shown by Fig. 9, the helical shut-off cam 52 is formed with a cam-groove 53 having straight side walls and a flat bottom, while the lever 6 is formed with a cam-finger 54: having a square driving-edge 55 and a beveled lifting-face 56. When the collar 10 of the manual plunger 11 engages with the lever 6, it is clear that the finger 51 will be caused by its bevel 56 to ratchet over thehigh points of the helical cam-groove 53, whereby the sounding of the alarm is stopped. The driving edge 55 of the finger 54 provides for the travel of the lever 6 in the manner already described for the automatic shutting off of the alarm.

In the modified construction shown by Fig. 10, the helical shut-0E cam 52 has a cam-path 53 with straight sides and a fiat bottom and receives a cam-finger 57 carried by the shut-01f lever 6 which is driven by the cam for the automatic stoppage of the alarm. For manually stopping the alarm, it is necessary to disengage the finger 57 from the cam-path 53. This is done by a lifting-cam 58 forming an extension of the collar 10 of the manual plunger 11. When the said plunger is pushed inward against the tension of its spring 12, the lifting-cam 58 operates to lift the cam-finger 57 out of the cam-slot 53 after which the collar 10 is brought into play for swinging the shut-ofi' lever 6 forward until the cam-finger 57 copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the drops off over the front end of the cam 52 in the same manner as described for the construction illustrated by Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, which show as well as the constructions of Figs. 9 and 10, how a manual cut-off may be combined with a helical cam used as a means of automatic cutofi'.

I claim 1. In an alarm clock, the combination witlythe alarm-mechanism thereof, of an automatic alarm-stop mechanism including a helical shut-off cam provided with a helical cam-groove, a shutoff lever and a camfinger located upon the said lever and coacting with the said groove for automatically stopping the alarm-mechanism, and manually operable means co-acting with the said lever to move the same into its alarm shut-off position independently of the said cam.

2. In an alarm-clock, the combination with the alarm-mechanism thereof, of an automatic alarm-stop mechanism including a helical shut-01f cam provided with a helical cam-groove, a shut-01f lever, and a camfinger located upon the said lever, the said groove and finger being constructed to permit the finger to ratchet over the cam, and manually operable means co-acting with the said lever to move the same into its cam shut-off position independently of the said cam.

3. In an alarm clock, the combination with the alarm mechanism thereof, of means for automatically stopping the said alarm including a helical shut-off cam having a helical cam-groove formed with a straight edge and an inclined bottom, a shut-01f lever having a finger co-acting with the said groove, and a manual stop for the alarmmechanism, including a spring-actuated plunger for ratcheting the said cam-finger over the cam and so moving the lever into its shut-ofit' position independently of the driving action of the cam upon the finger of the lever.

l. An alarm mechanism for alarm clocks. characterized by having an alarm shut-off lever pivotally mounted upon the warninglever at one side of the center thereof.

FRANK X. WEHRLE.

"Gommissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. G. 

